Schumacher unsure about Bridgestones

While Ferrari are a bit slower than at Indianapolis, the team is confident about improving in regards to the race on Sunday. The Bridgestone tyres are said to be working very consistent on long runs, but it is still unclear how fast they will actually be over one single qualifying lap. The Scuderia furthermore chose to only drive in the second session to save tyres.

"This Friday's main feature was the rather high temperatures, which means we can assume we will have a very hot weekend. As usual, we worked through our standard free practice plan, revolving mainly around defining the best set-up for the 248 F1 and evaluating the Bridgestone tyres. And also as usual, it is too soon to have a clear picture of where we stand against our main rivals, especially as we don't know what fuel loads they were running nor how the track conditions will evolve. Tomorrow, we can expect to see a first real pointer."

"The situation looks pretty good. We are reasonably satisfied with what we have seen this afternoon. However, now we must take a close look at the data to try and understand where we stand compared to the others. We are well aware that tyres will be vital in deciding the final outcome. Our Bridgestones seem to be consistent over a long run, but at the moment we cannot say how they will really perform over a single lap. We, and you, will have to wait until tomorrow to find out!"

"It was a good day during which we worked towards the race, both in terms of the car and the Bridgestone tyres. I am pleased with what we achieved. The balance of the car is satisfactory and the tyres delivered good grip even at the end of the day. For all these reasons, I am confident about the rest of the weekend."

"We decided to only go out in the second session of free practice because we knew that here, the tyres degrade significantly after the first timed lap and we wanted to evaluate our choices in consistent conditions in terms of track and temperature. The cars went well and the drivers seemed reasonably happy with the balance, while the Bridgestone tyres worked well over a long run. It is difficult to predict what might happen tomorrow: here, the difference between qualifying and race pace is really very significant."